Star Wars: A Protector's Tale
by Mystanthos
Summary: A book me and my boyfriend are writing. As we continue the book, I will try to post chapters here. We do not own star wars, but we own anyone that is not familiar.


The Life of a Protector 5/17/16 by: Michael E. DeCoste and Alexandria Rock

Part 1

A New Apprentice

 _There is no emotion, there is peace._

 _There is no passion, there is serenity._

 _There is no chaos, there is harmony._

The Jedi drill instructor stated the ancient Jedi code as stun bolt after stun bolt flew at individual padawans from individual training orb-like droids. Allof them had some manner of skill with the training sabers they now used, some more than others. One not-so-skilled padawan went by the name of Xalen Jargon, a Cathar. The Cathar were a race of cat-like humanoids who purred almost every time they spoke. Their legs had the bone structure of regular humans, but they had the nose, eyes and whiskers of any cats in the galaxy. One of the many exceptions was the ugly mugs of menka cats from the ancient Jedi home world known as Tython. Although whether any Jedi Knights still lived at the ancient temple was highly unlikely. Whether it had simply been abandoned by The Order some hundred years back, or destroyed by sith during a war, it's hard to say.

Republic historians had been lax in their recordings in Cathar. Their journalists had failed their abilities to update said recordings after The Mandalorian Wars had nearly decimated the entire population of a remote Cathar village. It was then that Cathar only allowed Jedi on Cathar soil. That policy had held to this day. Whether it was to offer emotional support or to help rebuild cities, we'll never know.

Xalen's abilities to block the bolts was nearly balanced by the number of times he missed, which always resulted in sharp stings of pain. Knowing the code was supposed to be a source of solace to a Jedi during stressful situations. But with the repeated stings an innate anger rose in him. Not wanting to leave welts on anyone, he took a few deep breaths saying the code under his breath. The anger seemed to subside as he continued the exercise.

 _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge_

 _There is no death, there is the Force_

In fact even though he was wearing a blindfolded helmet he somehow began to see the training droid as if he had no helmet whatsoever. Was this the power of the Force flowing through him? He had no time to worry about as more blaster shots came in more rapid succession. Whether it was the code or anger converted into determination, Xalen was focusing like he never had before. He blocked bolt after bolt feeling like he was on top of the galaxy, give or take a few star systems.

"End training session!" the instructor shouted.

Xalen was the first to deactivate his training saber. That rush of Force energy, adrenaline or whatever had left him quasi-drained. He nearly fell to his knees in exhaustion. It took some force of will but Xalen managed to keep himself upright.

"Same time tomorrow," the instructor said in a casual tone, "though be prepared to be singled out, many of the masters want to give their experiences to new blood. For the time being, you five head to archives and take notes on a subject of your choice. I'll want to hear a summarized report before the next session."

A few of the Padawans groaned at the task. Xalen almost wished he was going with them. He had been eager to learn about the various cultures in the Republic. He was especially eager to go through the Jedi Archives. Legend had it that if the Archives didn't hold a certain piece of knowledge or any other specific items, it didn't exist.

Unfortunately, the drill instructors who taught the groups of younglings often focused on combat before going into what they considered the monotony of Jedi history. The only piece of traditional Jedi lore they did focus on during those first couple years was the Jedi Code. The code was practically the lifeblood, and basic philosophy of the Jedi lifestyle. It served as a reminder of the Jedi way. Jedi were trained to be guardians of peace and justice. They were taught to control emotions in areas of anger, rage, and fear. The Jedi believed that was the key to channeling their Force power the right way.

Quite unlike their sworn enemies, the Sith Lords. These tyrannical Force-users were the scourge of the galaxy. Sith Lords, unlike the Jedi Knights, practically embraced fear, anger, and hatred. They chose to bend the Force to their wills for personal gain. They to, lived by a code serving as their philosophy. It went something like this:

 _Peace is a lie, there is only passion_

 _Through passion, we gain strength_

 _Through strength, we gain power_

 _Through power, we gain victory_

 _Through victory, our chains are broken_

 _The Force shall set us free_

However, the sith's main weapons were cleverness and cunning. So it should be no great surprise that the Sith Empire had been practically wiped out and the Sith Lords were now extinct. Or so the Republic thought at first. A couple of decades or so back, a black-robed zabrak attacked a Jedi master known as Qui-Gon Jinn on the desert-planet of Tatooine. The horned alien had intended to capture the queen of Naboo for the signing of a treaty meant to legalize the occupation of Naboo by a Neimodian trade business known as the Trade Federation. The same black-robed Zabrak later killed Qui-Gon Jinn

"The rest of you," the instructor said, "go to the holocron room; Master Jade is going to give you some experiences of the masters of the Jedi Council."

Despite Xalen's thirst for knowledge, seeing the order's best-of-the-best in action was always a fair treat. Those Jedi masters were legends of Jedi; the wisest of the wise, and the swiftest of the swift. Xalen couldn't help smiling as he and his four companions made their way to the holocron room.

Holocrons were almost like personal diaries of all Force-users. Some holocrons were able to allow ancient Jedi Masters to pass on their experiences and mistakes. Other holocrons held recordings of past conflicts in which the Jedi had taken part. Whether those recordings were meant to teach or to inspire new students, Xalen wasn't sure. Experience was a crucial part of furthering skill, but you don't combine Soresu and attaru forms by watching holographic records. But, that didn't make them any less interesting. Xalen stared in anticipation as the holocrons embedded in the walls glowed like stars.

"Where's Master Jade?" one of the padawans asked.

"I heard she's not exactly punctual like other Jedi," a female nautolan said, "in fact I heard one master say she believes herself to be neither Jedi or sith. She somehow manages to use both Light side and Dark side powers. A few of the masters have even tried to attack her. It's a wonder she hasn't turned to the Dark Side or left the Jedi in disgust."

"Are you kidding Laura," another exclaimed, "how is she even a master?"

"She may not be like other Jedi, but she has a good heart," Xalen objected.

"How could you know anything about the most reclusive Force User in Jedi Temple, Cat-Boy" Laura mocked.

"She's the reason I became a Jedi, Tentacle-Head," Xalen retorted.

At that moment, many of the other students bum-rushed Xalen as if he was a thing of legend. The students then began pestering him with every sort of question that went through their heads about Jade: "What is she like? How did you come to know Jade? Is she an easy person to get along with?"

But one of the main questions that they repeated was, "How can someone like her even be allowed in the Jedi Temple?"

"Because I proved myself in the trials kid," a female voice said from behind, "as you soon must."

The five Padawans whirled around in surprise. A woman in black and purple robes stood in the door way. A strange growl seemed to come from her right leg. Xalen quickly recognized the woman's voice as Jade's. He couldn't help chuckling at her surprise appearance. She had quite the knack for playing scare-pranks like that. In the weeks past, he only scratched the surface of adopting her sense of humor. He figured that was just one of the many things he owed after she saved his life.

"Thanks Nighteyes," Jade said as she walked into the room. "And yeah the looks on their faces were hilarious," she said with a chuckle.

Jade had chocolate-brown hair tied back in a slender pony-tail. As she entered the holocron room, Xalen quickly recognized her pet anooba, Nighteyes, near her right leg.

"3R-10," Jade said motioning to one of the holocron sorting droids, "holocron 6-M if you please."

The droid floated to a certain section of the holo-vault and selected the aforementioned holocron. It then floated back to a hovering position just in front of Jade's chest. Jade's pet let out another high-pitched snarl and took the device from the droid, nearly snapping its' grabbing arm in the process. The creature spun the holocron in its claws as if it was a ball.

"Nighteyes," Jade said with a humorous irritability Force grabbing the holocron, "if there's going to be any misuse of Temple property, I'll be doing it. However, I prefer to accidentally wreck things that are replaceable; these holocrons are anything but replaceable." Xalen couldn't help chuckling as Jade scolded her blind-seeing eye pet.

"Aww, a youngling with a sense of humor," Jade joked, "don't go Dark side on us kid or I'll have to stick my lightsaber through your stomach."

Xalen froze in fear at the thought of such a duel. Laura stifled a laugh herself as she pictured this woman kicking that cat-boy's hairy butt. It was almost too delightful to imagine, especially after the number of times he had referred to her as a squid with arms and legs. Laura couldn't help but wonder if Cathar resented nautolans for their amphibious abilities.

"Alright, alright," Jade said directing attention back to her, "There is a time to be silly and a time to be serious, and right now is serious-time. If you impressionable kids will have a seat I shall begin your holocron lesson."

The padawans sat cross-legged as Jade focused her full attention on the holocron. The only way to access the information on those devices was with the Force. The holocron floated out of Jade's hand for couple meters before its corners rotated and detached. Jade backed away as holographic bubble burst into view showing the last Jedi anyone expected: Mace Windu. Master Windu is one of the only Jedi to obtain lightsaber colored alternately to the usual blue and green sabers of other Jedi. Jade launched into a description of the holographic information which was surprisingly more accurate than Xalen expected.

"Today we see good-old Mace battling the Jervo-7 Pirates on Begeren," Jade began, "Mace worked with planetary security and was given command of ten squads. The battle reached a stalemate when the pirates were cornered in a droid factory. One of the pirates turned out to be a whiz with technology and turned the battle and security droids against the Begeren. After calling in reinforcements, _'Master Windu,'"_ Jade mockingly air-quoted, "took a few security officers through an alternate route he was able to identify through the Force. He and his squad fought their way through fifty battle droids, disabled the factory and put the remnants of the Jervo-7 Pirate gang behind bars."

The hologram clicked off and floated back into Jade's hand. "The lesson for today is this padawans," Jade said, "In some situations the front door is not always the best entrance. Observe your surroundings through the Force and the best path, however unorthodox it may be, will be made clear to you."

"Can you at least try to act professional Master Jade," a voice said from behind the class.

The class turned to the entrance to see Master Plo Koon standing in the door way. It was hard to tell expressions in the faces of his particular species. But it was easy to tell their emotions in their language phraseology.

"That was professional," Jade insisted, "if you wish to see unprofessional, maybe we could review my 'successful,' taking of Separatist orbital stations of the Kish home world."

"Watch that similar tactics don't get you killed; along with two thirds of your army," Plo Koon said as he and an accompanying togruta youngling began walking out.

"Allow me to show another lesson younglings," Jade said calling on the Force in a state of annoyance. The air in the room suddenly grew ominous and stale. The students turned to see a sphere of black, smoky air gathering in her hand with slight electrical sparks pulsing. The students took cautious steps backwards as most students would when wary of the pull of the Dark Side of the Force. Xalen, however, stood where he was, staring in awe of the power displayed by his rescuer. Xalen held out a curious hand toward the black energy sphere as if he was connected to it. "The power of the Dark side of the Force is not evil as Jedi would have you believe, the user ignites his potential for evil by drawing on it alone," Jade said. "To know the full power of the Force, one must handle both sides as one handles fire."

"Padawan Jargon," Plo Koon shouted, "be careful!"

Jade looked at Xalen and noticed all too late that Dark energy was leaching off her sphere to form a separate sphere in his outstretched hand. A wide smile spread across his face in pure amusement. Fearing the young Cathar's safety, Jade cut the energy supply and her sphere disappeared. Not knowing how to control the energy formation, Xalen's sphere dissipated in his hands. His hand began to spark blue electricity.

"What were you thinking Xalen," Jade shouted.

"Do that again," Xalen said before falling backward and was soon sitting on his rear.

"Padawan Xalen has unwittingly demonstrated the results of improper Force handling," Jade said turning back to the students, "The Dark Side is pure temptation to the untrained mind. Until you kids are further trained and have the guidance of a master, I wouldn't recommend touching the Dark Side."

"And in the mean-time," Master Plo said, "this young Cathar will be receiving a psychological evalu…,"

"With all due respect," Jade interrupted hauling a near unconscious Xalen to his feet, "I will be attending the young Cathar's condition."

"And what makes you…," Master Plo said.

"Qualified to attend said condition, Master Plo," Jade finished, "maybe the apparent fact that it was MY POWER that nearly sent Xalen into a blissful coma!"

Plo Koon rose to his feet with anger in his features. "See to it that this young one isn't consumed in the same fire that consumed Kit Fisto's cousin," Plo Koon warned.

"I. Will. Attend to. This. Student's. Condition," Jade said through gritted teeth, "now I believe you and Ahsoka here were to attend an archive study." With that, Plo Koon and Ahsoka walked off to other duties.

"As for the rest of you," Jade said turning to the other students, "get some rest and attend to your other assignments." Turning to Xalen she said, "Wait for me at the entrance."

As the group of padawans exited some of them were relieved. "Did you see her form that dark sphere, she is something else," one of them said.

"Did you see how Xalen drew on her dark energy, she could be trouble for him," another said.

"I hope she shocks him into catatonia," Laura said, "I've had it up to here with his so-called sense of humor."

Xalen was slow to exit the holocron vault. He had his hand on the doorway the other hand on his head. The power he had drawn on minutes ago was unlike anything he had felt before. It didn't feel ominous like Dark Side Force Power should. He felt blissful, like he was floating on the stars and interacting with the cosmic forces. After a few seconds he felt hands on his shoulders. He turned around to see Master Jade behind him and Nighteyes brushed against his legs.

Xalen was still a bit wobbly at the time, but after some supported steps from Jade, Xalen was walking normally. The cafeteria served foods of various species and cultures. Sometimes masters got serving droids to add special treats after having some bonding time with apprentices.

"Excuse me," Jade said as she and Xalen approached the order booth, "what's on the menu for today?

"Let us see," the droid said in monotone Basic, "we have Chandrillan onions with Naboo grown tomatoes and cheeses. Our second soup is Hutta Akk Dog Meat Boiled in several culinary spices our programmer did not list in our data banks."

"Hmmph," Jade snorted, "and I thought Jedi doctrines were inefficient. I'll have the Chandrillan onion and Naboo tomato and cheese soup, and my Cathar friend will have the Akk Dog Stew." Jade then leaned into the droid's audio receptor and whispered, "Add some Sly-chye leaves to the Akk Dog Stew; his Force powers need some restrained honing."

"Understood, Master Jade," the droid as he turned to prepare the dishes.

When fine-tuned properly the droids, they were highly efficient at preparing various dishes. The ingredients were added like various mechanical parts would be added to the frame of newly made speeders. When heated to perfection, the dishes were pushed out a small open door and the customer picked it up. The customers would get to watch their foods behind plate glass.

"That is never going to get old," Xalen said as he picked up his tray and sniffed the soup, "my Dad once hunted Akk Dogs for meat and sport. It was actually a rite of passage in our culture. We'd hunt Akk Dogs through this underground maze. I had undergone the trial a few years before my Force powers had begun to manifest."

"Was that as exciting as when you drew on my powers," Jade asked.

"I killed a rogue Sith before I came here," Xalen said.

Jade spat out her spoon full of soup that had just passed her mouth in shock, "What?!"

"It was the first and second time my power had manifested. I nearly killed a couple guards with strong Force lightning. They both ran off with 10,000 in Republic credits each. Masters Kenobi and Skywalker both brought me to their ship where Darth Syronis attacked. In a fit of anger, I poured Force Lightning into his body, vowing that he would never hurt anyone again. By the time I passed out, all that was left was a smoking corpse. I woke in the temple's hospital with medicinal aches in my back from whip scars rubbed with pain meds. The point is, his dark power didn't have the same feel as your power did. His hatred and anger made me despise the Dark Side. When I saw that black sphere in your hand, I was partially scared out of my mind. But beneath whatever anger and annoyance welled up in you in that moment, I sensed a good heart. The way you handled that Dark power made me wonder if I could control both sides as well. When I drew on your power, I felt like I was on top of the world. But at the same time, I think I felt like that Sith Lord. I wasn't sure what was scarier: that I felt like a bloodthirsty murderer, or that I didn't want the feeling to stop. In other words, yes it was."

The lightsaber hilt dropped from Xalen's hands as the implications of his realizations struck his mind. "There's a darkness in me, isn't there."

"As Master Jade has no doubt made clear," a high-pitched voice said, "strong, the temptation of the Dark Side is. Self-control you must learn if a Jedi you are to become."

Xalen stared in every direction wondering who had just spoken. "Who said that," he asked turning back to Jade.

Seconds later a small green alien with oversized cat ears was floating on a repulsor chair next to Jade. "Xalen Jargon," Jade said, "meet Master Yoda, the most experienced of the Jedi Council members. Also, one of the few Jedi who tolerate my unorthodox methods."

Xalen was dumbstruck. He had only been here a little over a year, and he was already being noticed by the Nine-hundred year old legend of the Jedi council. Rumors were, he was the only one to go up against the traitorous Jedi-turned-dark-sider, Count Dooku, and hold his own. He may look like an old geezer, but when the galaxy is threatened, few knights are more ferocious.

Xalen got up in a panic and tried to bow respectfully. He nearly tripped on the chair in the process. Jade and Master Yoda both burst out laughing as Xalen did the formal greeting. "Sit down you should," Master Yoda said. It was times like this that Xalen was thankful that he was covered in fur, that way no one could tell he was blushing.

"So Jade," Master Yoda, "taken a new apprentice, you have?"

"Master Yoda," Jade complained, "he just has something I need to handle."

Master Yoda chuckled a bit as Xalen slurped up the last of the Akk Dog broth. Xalen was feeling somewhat awkward as they went back and forth on who-knows-what. But what was concerning him now was the fact that the room was getting a bit blurry.

"Xalen," Jade asked, "you doing alright?"

Xalen had his head in his hands and his elbows on the table. He was about ready to pass out right there in the cafeteria. "I think… I need… to go… lie down," Xalen said between dizzy spells. With tense muscle movements Xalen tried to stand up, but he was getting more light-headed by the minute.

"Give him Sly-chye leaves, did you," Yoda asked.

"I told you master," Jade said, "He has something I need to handle."

With that Jade got up from her seat. Seconds later she was hefting Xalen into her arms. "You and I need to have some mind-to-mind conversation," she told Xalen. It was useless saying anything; Xalen had gone unconscious. "Also Master Yoda," Jade said, "I just might consider what you said, but you shouldn't hold your breath."

Jade took Xalen back to her quarters. She laid him on the floor and got into a meditation kneeling position. Calling on the Force, she focused all her attention on Xalen's subconscious. Suddenly she was no longer in her personal quarters but in a strange stone structure lit only by dim torches. She reached out trying to sense Xalen's brain activity, but the activity of the place made her Force Sight blurry. But a few seconds later, the chaos solidified into a narrow, white energy beam that stretched down the hallway. Jade followed the beam through a series of rights and lefts until she came to a square area where two equal and opposite Force signatures knelt. One shone white while the other shone black.

"Xalen," Jade guessed.

The two entities happened to be the dichotomy of Xalen's personality. The white Xalen was the first to stir from his supposed Force Hibernation. "Master Jade," the White Xalen asked, "what are you doing in the Ritual Maze?"

"Yes," the black Xalen yelled as he also stirred, "why don't you light our way with that awesome dark sphere of yours!? Or maybe you could amplify our brain power with Force Lightning! HAHAHAHA!"

The black entity activated a red lightsaber, uttered a Cathar battle cry, and sprang at Jade. She intended to push the other Xalen clear and fight his dark counterpart. But before she could do anything the white entity had drawn his own weapon and delivered a flying kick to the black entity. The two were soon at it tooth and nail; they exchanged dozens of lightsaber blows with both landing various kicks. It was soon clear they were evenly matched. Jade raised a hand, a calming force wave flowing through the maze.

"Peace," Jade said, "one in the same, work one with the other." She exhaled a slow breath, "Remember the Jedi Code."

The two Xalen's stared at Jade, then at each other. The white Xalen then deactivated his lightsaber, held out his hand saying, "There is no chaos…"

The black Xalen held a distrustful eyebrow in anger. He still partially wanted to slice both of them in half, but what was there to gain from that? Giving a closed-mouth sigh he grasped his white counterpart's hand saying, "There is… harmony."

In seconds the two Xalen's fused into the brown-robed scamp Jade had found on Jomark. She nodded to him and he returned with a bow. Seconds later the stone maze dissolved into Jade's personal quarters. It was only a few minutes before Xalen gasped in breath as one would after being underwater or from waking up from a nightmare. Jade laid a hand on his chest.

"Easy, young one, you're alright," Jade assured.

"That was way intense," Xalen said purring with excitement, "but why did you have me fuse my dark half instead of driving it away? Are we supposed to give our personal darkness power in our lives?"

"Without the dark, there is no light. You need both to function or we will fall," Jade said, "The Jedi fail because they have no darkness to allow them to fully understand the force. The Sith lords fail because they have no light to guide them to what's right." She took a deep breath. "The Protectors allow both because, together, light and dark can defeat what one cannot alone." A blue light formed under the hand on the Cathar's chest. "Now, get some rest, you need it. You'll stay in my quarters tonight. Those leaves still have your force locked within."

"Thank… you," Xalen said before dropping off to sleep.

Jade sat in a cushioned, reclining chair to get some sleep herself. But however she tried there something nagging at her after that experience. Some voice in her head seemed to say, "Rebuild the Protectors with this boy." She tossed and turned trying to ignore the voice. Jade had long since convinced herself that the Protectors were a dying race. Not to mention that every apprentice she had taken on was either dead or disappeared. She just couldn't bear the thought of that happening to another young Force user. Not to mention Xalen's mother would haunt Jade for the rest of her days but when it came to the will of the Force, Jade knew deep down that feelings like this, never went away.

She lay in that chair, staring at the ceiling. Seconds later a faint whisper entered her head. "Come to my quarters you must," the voice said, "talk about the Cathar's future we must."

"Can't wait till morning, eh you little, green imp." Jade muttered as she rolled out of the chair, landing on the floor with a small bang. "Ow!" She muttered quietly, thankful Xalen was asleep. Jade went to Yoda's quarters, rubbing her head. Entering the room she sat in an empty chair. "So, Imp, can't wait till morning, can ya?"

"Wait till morning either, your mind cannot," Master Yoda said. "The will of the Force, I believe you sense. Sensed a growing power in him I have. His power, you to have sensed, hmm? Given a new perspective of the Force you have, hmm?"

Jade sighed. "Yes, the darkness is calm now, but this is something the Jedi would be unable to control. There is high possibility of it consuming him before your trials." She stood up and paced. After several minutes, Jade spoke softly. "I'll… take him as my… apprentice." Leaning against a wall, she used force sight to see out the window and at the bustling city. She took a leather bracelet out of her pocket and felt it. The twisting design had been tooled into the leather, alone with small, greenish beads.

"Thinking of your former students, you are," Master Yoda guessed. Jade nodded.

"Control the future the past can," Master Yoda said, "But only if let it, you do. Know, you do, that always in motion, the future is. Repeat the past, you may not."

"You never know, with me, the past has repeated itself over and over." Jade walked to the door. "I'll be at the ceremony tomorrow. Don't tell the other Jedi, unless one is claiming him. I want this to be a surprise. Good night, Master Yoda."

"Good night, Jade," Master Yoda said.

With that she walked out the door and turned to what she thought was the left. Shifting her pace, Jade walked down the hall, only to be accosted by something leafy. "What!?" She stumbled backwards, taking the thing down with her. "Really?! Two times in one night?! Using the force, she stood her attacker up and turned on her force sight. Once she saw what attacked her, Jade face palmed.

She had ran into one of the potted plants again. "This. Is. Ridiculous." She turned around and found her way back to her quarters. "That thing jumped out at me." She said as she laid in her chair again.

The next morning Xalen had was out of Jade's room just she had awoken from her slumber. She guessed Xalen would be at lightsaber duels this morning. She hoped vaguely none of the students would be getting prosthetic limbs. Master Rylo, the duel instructor, had a sadistic tendency to put real blades among the practice sabers. He said it kept students' Force senses honed, to be able to tell the difference. Jade wondered if the Sith Lord he used to be had fully faded away. Thankfully as she entered the dueling yard that sunny morning, it seemed the students only got stinging welts for their pains. Rylo gave her a nod, in which Jade replied by jabbing him mentally with the force and tapping the lightsaber on her left side. This was a warning she had given to him countless times and so help him if she followed through.

"There's no need to get hostile," Rylo said through the force.

"Says the man who tries to kill students with real blades," she hissed.

"I instruct the students to select their weapons carefully," Rylo said, "they can tell which blade is which by the energy output."

"They're young."

"Don't worry about that anyway, the Jedi Council banned that test due to many serious injuries. After a while, I couldn't blame them."

A scream filled the air as a student, a girl fell to her knees, dropping her saber. Everyone froze.

"Banned, huh?!" Jade ran to the girl, placing pressure on the Padawan's arm. "Who were you dueling?"

The girl raised a finger toward her opponent, a male togruta, not much older than Ahsoka, who had also dropped his saber. He stood there, speechless, as if he had lost all sense of reality. "Easy, kid, not your fault." Jade wrapped a bandage a med droid brought around the girl's arm. "Laura, go to med bay." She let the girl stand up and walk behind the droid. Jade then walked to the boy, knelt down and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, you didn't know, did you?" He jerked away, but Jade kept him where he was. "Easy, easy. I'm not mad at you." The boy was close to tears.

"I should've sensed the energy output," he sobbed, but it felt like any other saber. Master Rylo had walked up to offer his apologies. Jade gave him a glare that said, "You've done enough, you psychotic idiot." Suddenly the togruta's cries of sadness turned to pure rage. He threw out his hand at Rylo enclosing the surprised master in a choke hold.

"I could've killed that young nautolan," the boy screamed, "but you had to experiment with probability!"

"Rychel," Rylo gasped, "don't become… what I… once was. I… had no idea… other…"

Jade reached out, easily stopping the boy's force abilities. She wrapped him into a tight hold, pushing him to his knees. "Breathe, kid," she said, "Don't give into anger that fast. Breathe, she's alive, a minor wound." The boy felt Jade's stronger force surround him.

"There is no emotion," he chanted, "There is peace." With that he went partially limp. Seconds later the room holo-terminal started to beep. Master Rylo hit the switch and a hologram of Mace Windu appeared. "Master Rylo," Mace said, "Master Yoda has sensed the incident, "you're to be assigned to the Archives for the next five weeks. If another student is harmed on your watch, you are to turn in your lightsaber and leave the Jedi Order, am I understood."

"Yes Master Windu," Rylo said,

"Now put padawan Xalen Jargon on the com-channel," Windu said.

Rylo motioned the young Cathar forward. "Yes Master Windu?," Xalen said with a bow.

"Report to the Jedi apprentice ceremony after your next class; you have been singled out," Master Windu said, "May the Force be with you."

Xalen bowed respectfully as the holo-terminal clicked off. Jade gently picked up the Togruta boy into her arms and held him like one would hold an infant.

"Master… I'll…be alright," the boy said. Jade chuckled.

"You need to relax your mind," she said," sleep will aid you in that. Besides, you've worked hard all week. The ceremony is tonight. You need to be awake to meet your new master."

"What makes you think… I've been… singled out," boy said. Before Jade could answer the boy's head fell against her shoulder. Seconds later, Xalen was exiting the training room in his regular robes.

"See you at the ceremony," Xalen said, "and when Rychel wakes up from that Force-induced slumber, let him know that training saber crystals have a less dense photonic formation. Also tell him he needs to study lightsaber schematics. Unless of course you can't make him laugh about it."

"And nearly slicing Laura's arm off can be turned into something to laugh about… how," Jade asked.

Xalen scrunched up his mouth in contemplation of this idea. "Point taken," Xalen said, "humor is definitely something I need to work on." With that, Xalen rushed off to his next class.

"I'll keep that in mind, my apprentice," Jade said. She then sauntered Rychel off to the medical bay.

The ceremonial hall was three times as big as the cafeteria. It consisted of thirty rows of ten chairs and delicate structural pillars with twisting vines. Dozens of students gathered with extreme anticipation of whose apprentice they were to become. After a while of waiting, Master Yoda floated up on a repulsor-lift chair. He gave an opening speech any listener would probably fall asleep to in ten minutes. At least Xalen might have fallen asleep from an extreme headache. Trying to listen to that old geezer's backwards talking in back and forth conversations was difficult enough, but an entire speech was excruciating. He saw Master Jade on a raised stage with several other masters. She was the only one with fidgety feet; apparently she didn't want to be listening to this green guy's speech any more than he did. A half-smile crossed his face as he figured, "Whatever master I end up with, she and I are going to get along very well."

"And now," Master Yoda, "proceed to choose their apprentices, the masters will. First to choose, Master Rancisis will be."

A humanoid collection of thick vines strode up to the speaker phone. "I choose Laura Jarrigan as my apprentice," the guy said.

"Well congratulations, Squid-girl," Xalen said, "good luck with the vine man."

"Go hock up a hairball, Cat-boy," Laura said as she got up from her seat. Xalen heard Jade give a barely concealed chuckle at the exchange. Maybe he was better at humor than he thought, if only in some ways. She sauntered up to the stage to stand in front of her new master. Giving a respectful bow, she followed master Rancisis back to his seat. The stage seats were spaced wide enough to allow an apprentice to stand next to his or her master.

One after another the students were paired with masters and knights; even a few Jedi council members took a new student. After about thirty minutes, Xalen was the only one left in the audience chairs. Also from the looks of things, Jade was the only one without an apprentice. His eyes went wide as she sauntered up to the loud speaker. "I choose Xalen Jargon as my apprentice," Jade said.

Xalen sprung up from his chair in surprise. Jade chuckled, "Get up here already." Xalen shook himself back to reality and walked up to the stage as calmly as he could. Jade had made it abundantly clear that she had no intention of taking another apprentice. So why now? Also, why him of all students? As he got onstage he bowed like his fellow students.

"Students, wait for your masters outside," Master Windu said, "They will give you your new training schedules. The council has business with Master Jade and her apprentice."

"It's bad enough you let that witch into the temple," Master Rancisis said, "and now you handed her a student."

"You sanctimonious…," Jade started. But Master Yoda cut her off.

"Guided by the will of the Force, Jade has been," he said, "A great power within Xalen, there is; beyond Jedi knowledge it is. Stand, this Council's ruling does; a Protector Xalen will become."

"You were outvoted, Master Rancisis, when Master Yoda petitioned to give Jade sanctuary here," Master Plo-Koon said, "times have changed and we must change with them. Need I remind you that Jedi don't usually fight wars any more than they use both sides of the Force."

Rancisis stayed silent since he had no way to argue the point. "Now," Master Windu said, "we examined the weapon that sliced Laura's arm and we sensed a strange energy within it. We thought you might recognize it."

Jade Force-grabbed the weapon and called on her Force-sight. A reddish-black flame engulfed the hilt. Suddenly, Jade's left glove was set on fire. She threw the weapon to the ground in stunned terror and cradled her hand in agonized pain.

"What is that thing," Xalen cried out in surprise.

"You ever heard of Force Hunters?," Jade asked in response.

"Up until now, I thought bounty hunters were Jedi and Sith predators," Xalen said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well these bozos invented weapons that combat Force attacks," Jade explained getting to her feet, "The bounty hunter, Embo, actually got his helmet from one of those guys. That lightsaber just so happens to be one of those weapons."

"Well," Xalen said activating his assigned training weapon, "let's get rid of this thing before it hurts anyone else." Xalen Force-grabbed the other weapon intending to slice it in two.

"Wait, Xalen," Jade shouted, "don't touch it!"

But it was too late. The lightsaber pulsed with purplish-black energy as Xalen's saber collided with it. The energy sent out a pulse wave that struck Xalen square in the chest, sending him flying backward. He was Force grabbed by one of the Jedi masters before he rammed his head on one of the chairs.

"Those. Weapons. Combat. The. Force," Jade said as Xalen was lowered onto the floor, "They can't be destroyed that way."

"Noted," Xalen said stretching his impacted muscles.

"Fortunately for us," Jade said, "I happen to know a guy who can destroy these weapons. Now please put that saber in a box, my hand is burning just looking at it."

Xalen sensed an insulated case of uneasiness rise from Master Kenobi. He also noticed a few of the masters were muttering at the mention of Jade's contact. He got the feeling Jade had associated with some shady characters in past years. But there was no time to worry about that.

"Just one question before Xalen and I head off; why didn't Rylo report anything suspicious when the shipment of training sabers came in?"

"He gave this to us after the shipment came in," Master Windu said handing Jade a data pad.

Jade looked through the data pad's information, which looked pretty basic. It was a security recording of an SB-3 shipping speeder. The record consisted of the speeder's arrival time, a cargo load of training sabers and orb droids, an audio recording, and the time it left. But it was the audio recording that caught her interest. The word exchange began between Rylo and one of the vehicle's droids.

" _Shipment contents,"_ the droid said in monotone robotic Basic, _"Five crates of training sabers: Six crates of orb, multi-blaster training droids. Is this the shipment ordered?"_

" _It is,"_ Master Rylo said. He then pushed his thumb onto a data pad to sign off on the shipment. The droid then went to help unload the cargo. The driver was already unloading one of the crates of training sabers. Strangely though, after he put it down, the driver leaned against the vehicle, letting the droid do the remainder of the work.

" _You usually let your droids handle all the cargo,"_ Rylo asked.

" _Only the more secure cargo,"_ the driver said, _"keep these particular training weapons separate from the others. They're gonna require more delicate handling. Be sure to let those students of yours know. Now I gotta go, there's a shipment of ion engines that needs to go to the main space port. May the Force be with you, and all that stuff."_

" _Are these training sabers on the fritz or something," Rylo asked, "We don't have use for glitchy equipment."_

But the moment Rylo looked over his shoulder, the speeder had already left the port.

"This data may uncover a few things, but you haven't answered my question," Jade said, "Why didn't Rylo report this?"

"He believes in evidence over hunches," Master Kenobi says, "he still has trouble letting himself be guided by the force. Today's events confirms his suspicions. He has already apologized to Rychel and Laura. Give him time and he will adjust."

"I wish I could believe that," Jade said, "now if you guys don't mind, I have a force hunter to hunt down."

"May the Force be with you," Master Windu said in dismissal.

Jade sauntered out of the council tower like a pompous senator. Xalen took the time to bow to the council before he realized his master had already disappeared. He sped-walked out of council chamber feeling like a total idiot.

"What took you so long," Jade asked incredulous, "please don't tell me you were bowing to the Light-Siders."

"Sorry, force of habit," Xalen said, "Also, isn't it wise to show respect to those we live with. Especially when a few of them are your friends?"

"To bow to something," Jade said, "is to answer to it. We. Don't. Answer. To the Jedi."

"Dually noted," Xalen said, "So who is this contact of yours that can disassemble Force Hunter Tech."

"With his resources," Jade said, "he'll contact us before we contact him. Now come with me, we need to make a pickup."

Xalen followed Jade to her personal quarters. Was there some package she needed? They already had the Force hunter saber sealed away. Jade retrieved a box full of lightsabers from under the bed and placed it on a side table. Once she opened it, Jade turned to face Xalen motioning him inside.

"Um…"Xalen said, "what exactly are we picking up here of all places."

"These lightsabers," Jade said gesturing to the box, "were made by yours' truly. But none have ever called out to me. But one of them has called out to you. It's one of the many occurrences that led me to training you."

"So that is what that strange voice was," Xalen said, "I heard some whisper on the ship and thought I was going crazy."

"Focus apprentice," Jade warned, "Now concentrate; stretch out your hand and find your new weapon."

Xalen shut his eyes, stretched out his hand and opened himself up to the Force. The darkness in his eyelids brightened into a gray outline of Jade's quarters. However, within the outline of the box lay the gray glow of a cylindrical object. That object was his lightsaber. He imagined his hand as a magnet. Within his mind he said, "Come to me." Suddenly, the lightsaber flew out of the box and into Xalen's hand faster than a laser ball. With a whirl of exhilaration he pressed the activation switch and a grassy-green blade sprung into view. A whisper spoken by multiple voices came from the blade, "Together we shall keep the Force in balance. Welcome to the Protectors."

Xalen shut the lightsaber down, clipping it to his belt. "Those voices," Jade said, "are those of every Protector that has long since become one with the Force. I would've had you build your own lightsaber per tradition, but we have bigger firaxan sharks to barbecue. Now let's get to the hanger; you get to see my personal speeder."

The hanger was just off the east side of the temple. It contained anything from Jedi Starfighters to regular speeders. The hanger was first built a month or so after the battle of Geonosis. The Senate practically demanded the Jedi prepare for war in every way possible. Some of the more traditional knights had no wish to be involved. Though they were outvoted by those who believed offense was needed as well as defense. Those particular Jedi believed action was needed in war. Past conflicts such as the Mandalorian Wars had only confirmed their beliefs.

Jade led Xalen to a special landing pad. A speeder nobody had ever seen before lay there, just waiting to be driven. To Xalen, it looked like a hybrid between an ARC-170 Starfighter and a Y-wing without the head-to-head seat formation. Instead, it had the regular two-seater of any other speeder. Jade climbed into the driver's seat as easily as a person who still had his or her sight.

"Can you see this speeder with Force Sight," Xalen asked.

Jade slowly gripped the controls saying, "Vehicles like this are designed to connect to Force -powered beings."

"How does that work," Xalen asked wide-eyed.

"Trust me kid," Jade said with a slight chuckle, "connecting to Protector Vehicles is a long complicated process. If I try to explain it to you, we'd be halfway across the galaxy by now."

"Noted," Xalen said.

With that Jade and Xalen raced out of the hanger, forcing a couple Jedi knights to duck to the floor. Xalen had half a mind to scream, "Are you trying to kill these guys!"

Coruscant was a completely technological planet, made up of gigantic skyscrapers. Hundreds of speeders crisscrossed through traffic lanes. Though trying to explain Courascanti traffic regulations would take the length of a trip to Alderaan from Naboo at regular speed.

"So," Xalen said, "you finally wanna tell me who this contact of yours is?"

Before Jade could respond, the holocom built into the speeder beeped several times. "Ten to one that's him right now," she said. She clicked on the holocom and Xalen saw an image that made his jaw drop in astonishment. The holo-image was that of an all too familiar bounty hunter. He had blue skin with eyes that were blood-red. He wore a wide brimmed hat; Xalen had one time, wondered if the psycho had a fetish for them. He also wore a trench-coat and at his belt sat two ALT-53 Viper blaster pistols in Rancor leather holsters.

In years past, this bounty hunter had been involved in several Separatist sanctioned attacks on Republic worlds. He and a gang of other bounty hunters, including the infamous Aura Sing had actually held the entire Senate hostage. With the help of a small Separatist fleet, he had captured and tortured a Jedi master. That particular knight had died when the maximum electrocution torture had proved to be too much for him. Another time, this hunter broke another supposed bounty hunter named Morallo Eval out of prison. Eval was an alien who loved to refer to himself in the first-person. His savior had then been contracted along with four other hunters to capture Chancellor Palpatine. The plan just might have worked, had one of the bounty hunters not been Obi-Wan-Kenobi disguised as the infamous Rako Hardeen, the sniper who supposedly shot him. As if all that wasn't bad enough, this same hunter had attempted to kidnap a list of Force-sensitive children to be trained as Sith acolytes.

"Cad Bane!?" Xalen cried in unbelief. How could Jade associate with this scum, much less work with him? "This guy is your contact;" Xalen said, "do you snuff Death Sticks when no one is looking?"

"He's the only one I trust with this," Jade insisted.

"He has quite the rude disposition for a friend of yours," Bane said in slight disgust.

"He's still learning," Jade said, "cut him a break. And let's be honest; you haven't exactly given students a reason to trust you."

"He keeps up that attitude," Bane warned, "and I might have to cut him in half."

Jade slipped Xalen a half-smile and half-scowl and said, "I won't prevent you from trying. But, I can't bet on you coming out of it alive."

Bane turned to Xalen saying, "Did you really electrocute Lord Syronis when you were brought to the temple?"

Xalen scrunched up his face in recollection before saying, "The last time I saw the scum alive was when he learned from a guard of his I was Force sensitive."

"If not for Master Jade," Xalen said, "many more people would've been electrocuted."

"I hope you don't mind killing, kid," Bane said.

"Depends on the situation," Xalen said, "I was taught to make killing the last resort."

"With these hunters," Bane warned, "killing will be the only resort."

"Diplomacy isn't an option with these mynock heads," Xalen said, "Got it."

"Get impressive with your lightsaber, and I may reconsider a duel with you," Bane said.

"Doubly noted," Xalen said, "I don't suppose I need to mention one of those dingbats tried to sneak a booby-trapped lightsaber into a recent shipment of training equipment."

"Is that true, Jade," Bane asked.

"One of the students nearly got her arm chopped off because some idiot didn't report a suspicious delivery guy," Jade said.

"Rylo was always dinko-brain even when he was still a Sith," Bane huffed, "Meet me at docking-bay fifty. Destroying that weapon is gonna cost extra."

"I've got credits," Jade said, "Just have your disposal kit and your blasters handy."

"Will do," Bane said, "see you soon."

With that, the hologram clicked off. Xalen sighed in relief; Bane had had a much sunnier disposition than what he had previously imagined. "He seemed nice," Xalen said after a few minutes of silence.

"Lesson Number One, my young apprentice," Jade said snarky, "'don't believe everything you hear.' The galaxy is not as black and white as the Jedi would have you think."

"Dually noted… Master," Xalen with equal snarkiness.

They both went into peals of laughter as they finally worked their way through the lines of speeder traffic. It was a wonder Jade didn't rear-end a few of the multiple pompous speeder drivers. "How many of these windbags prefer joyriding to getting from point A to point B," Jade shouted as they parked.

"Wars have a way of making you want to enjoy life to the fullest," Bane said sauntering towards them, "Especially a life of luxury."

"Bane," Jade said, "long time no see."

"Your Force-Hunter friends are right through those doors," Bane said gesturing toward a warehouse, "be prepared for anything. These mynock-brains shoot first and ask questions, never. Ya got me?"

Jade and Xalen both nodded and the three of them began making their way to the enemy hideout. They had to move slowly since there could be snipers patrolling rooftops disguised as republic soldiers. But whether they were using cloaking technology, or whether Force-Hunters somehow developed a way to block Force Sense, no snipers were spotted, yet.

"Do they think we're stupid or what," Xalen scoffed, "they have we're onto the…"

Bane cupped a hand over Xalen's mouth as a black-robed figure approached the edge the warehouse roof rifle in hand. Xalen pursed his lips giving a silent "Oh," with an influx of stupidity. Timing became everything in that moment. Bane gestured Jade over to a stack of shipping crates while pointing to his side at the same time. Jade must've gotten the idea because she was off to the shipping crate stack in seconds. Xalen watched in fascination as she levitated her lightsaber towards the unsuspecting Force-Hunter. With just a flick of her wrist the lightsaber activated and speared the guy's neck in an instant. The Force Hunter was dead before he flopped to the rooftop.

They moved to the door with swift, silent steps. The door was the standard 9-digit combination lock with retinal scanner, both easily hacked with the right computer skills. Bane brought out a set of strange tools and soon got his way into the inner-wiring of the console. He placed an audio device on one wire as he snipped a couple others. In a matter of minutes, the door slid open as silently as a wamp rat infiltrates a moisture farmer's store house. Trying to navigate the stacks of crates was like finding your way through the dense forests of Kashyyk without a Wookie guide. Bane peeked around a corner while motioning for Jade and Xalen to stop. One quick peek around the corner brought back a wide-eyed Bane who looked like he was about to hyperventilate.

"This just got a whole lot harder didn't it," Jade said.

"They got a reek," Bane whispered.

"Oh Blaster Bolts!" Jade cursed.

"Aren't those Horn-Faces herbivores," Xalen said.

"Only under lush conditions," Jade said, "Starve them long enough and their skin turns red; it means they've gone carnivore."

"Noted," Xalen said sucking in a nervous breath, "wait, I got an idea, ever hear of Jedi forming connections with animals."

Jade half-smiled and drew her lightsaber. "You heard the apprentice," she said, "time to send these dinko-brains to jail, or the morgue."

"You sure about 'dis, kid," Bane said.

"I once turned a pack of imported Akk Dogs into the friendliest house pets on Manan," Xalen said, "gotta challenge myself sometime."

With that Xalen headed in the other direction. Bane drew his blasters looked around the corner. Jade gave a silent countdown from three before activating her lightsaber and Force-jumping over the crate stack. A Force-Hunter tapping away on a data pad soon found himself shortened at the neck. Two more fell before the rest could draw their weapons. One Force-Hunter rushed at Jade with a vibrosword before taking a blaster bolt to the left temple. Bane flew into the fray on his boot jets spraying the area with blaster bolts faster than a Tiphon gun. Jade slashed two more Force-Hunters just in time to see Xalen fight his way through four Force-Hunters and leap onto the reek's back. Focusing the Force on the reek's control collar, Hunters out." he snapped the collar in two pieces.

Xalen spoke through the Force as the reek went berserk. "It is alright big guy," Xalen said, "We're to help. Help us take these Force-Hunters and we'll see to it you'll live in peace."

In a matter of minutes and seconds, the reek went from berserk to a hate-quest for Force-Hunters. With Xalen deflecting laser fire, the reek gored Force-Hunter after Force-Hunter as it plowed through the warehouse. With Bane and Jade running cover, the Force-Hunters were soon wiped out.

The reek skidded to a halt with multiple snarls. Xalen jumped off, patting the creature's neck and speaking calming thoughts mixed with Force manipulation.

"When did you learn how to connect with living beings?" Jade inquired, "That was impressive!"

"I had a weird way with Akk dogs we domesticated," Xalen said, "I managed to hone the skill during time in the aviary; birds flocked around me like I was made of bird seed. Figured I had to try it on bigger animals some time. Just wish I had a backup plan if Drezer here, didn't respond."

"I'll be sure to work on that in fut…. AHHH!" Jade screamed clutching her shoulder and falling to her knees.

"Jade...AHHH!" Xalen said activating his lightsaber before a blaster bolt to his leg. Before Xalen could recover, two well-aimed shots by Bane silenced whoever shot Jade and Xalen.

"Can you walk Fur Ball," Bane said hauling Xalen to his feet.

"Well enough to get back to the ship," Xalen said, "How's Jade?"

"Her wound looks worse than it is," Bane said, "but you need to get back to the Jedi Temple ASAP!"

"Noted," Xalen said.

With some cries of pain on Jade and Xalen's parts, they eventually got back to Jade's speeder. Bane loaded Jade into the passenger seat as Xalen jumped into the pilot's chair, wincing on impact.

"Oh… almost forgot," Xalen said Force-levitating the box into Bane's hands along with the pack of aurodium ingots, "make sure that weapon never sees the light of day. Nice working with you Bane. May the Force be with you, for what it's worth."

"Likewise…Xalen," Bane said, "Now get your keester back to the Jedi Temple."

With that, Xalen sped off. The first thing he did as soon as they were in the air, was switch on the holocom.

"This Protector vehicle Dragonstrike, calling the Jedi Temple," Xalen, "this is Protector Xalen Jargon, please respond!"

"Xalen," Obi-Wan said over the com-channel, "what's your status?"

"Good to hear your voice Master Kenobi," Xalen said, "mission accomplished. Send security to a warehouse near docking bay fifty. Also we need medical droids dispatched to the landing pad immediately. Master Jade took a blaster bolt to the shoulder and I took a blaster bolt to the leg. Send the zoo master also, they had a reek with them."

"Acknowledged Padawan Jargon," Obi-Wan said, "just sit tight, set the auto-pilot and don't die."

"No promises on that last part," Xalen said hitting the auto-pilot switch, "Over and out."

Xalen switched off the holocom and leaned back in the pilot's seat. "Lesson number two," Jade said, "Never turn your back on defeated enemies until you're sure they're dead or otherwise incapable of further hurting you."

"Dully noted," Xalen said.

Jade and Xalen said nothing more for the rest of the trip. Jade passed out half-way through the trip. A medical team was waiting on the landing pad as the speeder docked in the temple's hanger. Jade was Force-lifted from the speeder and laid on a stretcher while Xalen was helped into a repulsor chair. By the time they entered the med bay they were both place under sedation while their wounds were soaked in bacta and bandaged.

"I'm fine you bolt-brains," Jade yelled.

Xalen awoke as Jade was trying to get up and two medical droids threatening to sedate her again.

"Negative," a medical droid said, "sedatives cause dizziness and possible nausea. Any movement will impair recovery. Patient must remain in rest unit until full recovery."

"Let me up before I smash you both against the wall," She said through gritted teeth.

"Hey Circuit-Heads," Xalen called, "I think my blaster wound caused some nerve damage. My foot feels totally numb."

One droid diverted its' attention from Jade to see to Xalen's foot. Meanwhile, the other droid succumbed to running the final check-up run per medical before letting patients out of medical care.

"Breathe in, please," the droid said.

Jade took some rhythmic deep breaths as the droid ran biometric calculations through a standard issue data pad.

"Breathing patterns, normal," the droid said as the data came up, "Blood flow, average. Estimated time to heal: ten days. Brain Activity: Normal. Recommended minimal to no strenuous activity until wound is healed. Prognosis: Jedi Master Jade: Cleared for duty."

The moment the med-droid said those words, it flew into the far wall, knocking over a plotted Naboo fern in the process.

"That's _Protector_ Jade to you ya stupid Bolt-Brain," Jade said standing up. As the droid said, side effects of the sedative had not completely worn off. Jade ended up walking erratically, stumbling into the unit parallel to her.

"You always… that hostile with the doc-bots," Xalen said sitting up with a slight groan, "or do you just hate med bays."

"I don't wanna talk about it," Jade said, "How're you feeling, kid?"

"Let's just say… AHH," Xalen groaned as the other droid prodded his foot, "we might not be sparring for a while. Ya got any notes for future missions, master? OUCH! Watch it Circuit-Head!"

"You handled yourself well, my young apprentice," Jade said with a smile, "Turning their pet against them really leveled the playing field. We'll have to further hone your lightsaber skills when your foot is fully healed. When you're able to walk on your own we'll focus on meditation for the time being. You ever heard of Battle Meditation?"

"Can't say I have, Jade," Xalen said, "Looking forward to learning it."

"Together we'll bring peace back to this war-torn galaxy," Jade said stroking Xalen's head, "Just stick with me my new apprentice."


End file.
